Josh Lawson
Joshua Lawson (born 22 July 1981) is an Australian actor and filmmaker best known for his role as Doug Gugghenheim in House of Lies, Tate in Superstore and as Kano in the 2021 film Mortal Kombat.
Josh Lawson | |
|---|---|
 Lawson at the Sydney premiere of Any Questions for Ben? in February 2012 | |
| Born | Joshua Lawson 22 July 1981 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Family | Ben Lawson (brother) |
Early life
Lawson was born and raised in Brisbane, and attended St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace.[1] He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001. He also spent one year studying improvisation techniques in Los Angeles at The Second City, The Groundlings, ACME Comedy Theatre and I.O. West. His older brother is actor Ben Lawson.
In 2003 Lawson was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship.[2]
Career
Television
Lawson has had guest-starring roles in such popular Australian television programs as Blue Heelers and Home & Away, and is known for his appearances on the improv comedy program Thank God You're Here and on the Australian drama Sea Patrol and comedy The Librarians. He also had a guest role in the comedy Wilfred and starred in several television commercials, including advertisements for Coca-Cola Cherry and Gold Class cinemas.
He portrayed Tate Staskiewicz, the pharmacist in the series' titular setting, on the sitcom Superstore for three seasons.
Lawson also hosted Wipeout Australia with James Brayshaw.[3]
Lawson played Ben in the American pilot Spaced and Shawn on Romantically Challenged for ABC. Since its inception in 2012, he has played management consultant Doug Guggenheim on Showtime's House of Lies.[4]
In 2017 he played the title role in Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story.
Film
In 2006, Lawson made his feature film debut in BoyTown. He had the starring role in the 2012 Australian comedy film Any Questions for Ben?, created by Working Dog Productions.[5] He also appeared alongside Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in the 2012 comedy film The Campaign, as well as Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and Crave.
His feature directing debut The Little Death which he also wrote and starred in, was released in 2014.
Lawson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2018 for The Eleven O'Clock, a short film he wrote and starred in.[6]
In 2018, Lawson portrayed "Dave Johnson" in the comedy pilot for the CBS series Here Comes the Neighborhood (later The Neighborhood), but was replaced by actor Max Greenfield before the series was picked up by the network.
In August 2019, Lawson was cast in the Mortal Kombat reboot as Kano.[7]
Other work
During 2006 and 2007, Lawson was a regular guest co-host on the Australian radio comedy show Get This which aired on Triple M. In 2013, he voiced the role of Bob in the Cartoon Hangover short film Rocket Dog.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Hey Stranger | Caller | Short film |
| 2006 | Charmed Robbery | Customer | Short film |
| 2006 | BoyTown | Andy | |
| 2007 | $quid | Chris | Short film |
| 2009 | Law and Order: Really Special Victims Unit | The pianist | Short film; also writer |
| 2010 | The Wedding Party | Steve | |
| 2010 | After the Credits | Rude passenger | Short film; also director and writer |
| 2011 | Pet | Julian | Short film |
| 2012 | Any Questions for Ben? | Ben | |
| 2012 | The Campaign | Tripp Huggins | |
| 2012 | Crave | Aiden | |
| 2012 | Freeloaders | Dave | |
| 2013 | Free Birds | Gus / Settler (voice) | |
| 2013 | Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | Kench Allenby | |
| 2014 | Growing Up and Other Lies | Jake | |
| 2014 | Border Protection Squad | Emma | |
| 2014 | The Little Death | Paul | Also director and writer; SXSW Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight Thessaloniki International Film Festival Audience Award for Open Horizons Nominated – Australian Writers' Guild Award for Feature Film – Original Nominated – São Paulo International Film Festival Award for Best Feature Film |
| 2016 | The Eleven O'Clock | Terry Phillips | Short film; also producer and writer AACTA Award for Best Short Fiction Film LA Shorts Fest Award for Best Short Film Nominated – Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| 2017 | The Doppel Chain | Thomas | Short film |
| 2017 | Becoming Bond | George Lazenby | Documentary |
| 2019 | Bombshell | James Murdoch | |
| 2020 | Holly Slept Over | Noel | |
| 2021 | Long Story Short | Patrick | Also director and writer |
| 2021 | Mortal Kombat | Kano | |
| 2023 | True Spirit | Roger Watson | |
| TBA | Mortal Kombat 2 | Kano | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Wayne Manifesto | Trevor | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Medivac | Rob | Episode: "Denial" |
| 1998 | The Day of the Roses | Mark Shuttler | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 2002 | TwentyfourSeven | Tony White | 13 episodes |
| 2004 | Home and Away | Felix Walters | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Blue Heelers | David Murray | 5 episodes |
| 2006 | All Saints | Nick Bagnall | Episode: "Tough Love" |
| 2006 | Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | ER Doctor | Episode: "Autopsy Room Four" |
| 2006–09 | Thank God You're Here | Various Characters | 9 episodes |
| 2007 | Sea Patrol | Toby "Chefo" Jones | 13 episodes |
| 2007 | The Librarians | Lachie Davis | 6 episodes |
| 2007–09 | Chandon Pictures | Carmichael Chandon | 11 episodes |
| 2010 | Wilfred | Spencer | Episode: "The Dog Father" |
| 2010 | Hawke | Grant Nihill | Television film |
| 2010 | Romantically Challenged | Shawn Goldwater | 6 episodes |
| 2011 | Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away | Michael Sullivan | Television film |
| 2012–16 | House of Lies | Doug Guggenheim | 58 episodes |
| 2012 | Lowdown | Mark Hardy | Episode: "A Bollywood Ending" |
| 2014 | Kinne | Guest Cast | 6 episodes |
| 2015–2018 | Superstore | Tate Staskiewicz | Recurring role |
| 2016 | Wrecked | Eric | Episode: "The Adventures of Beth and Lamar" |
| 2017 | Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story | Paul Hogan | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Welcome to the Neighborhood | Dave | Unaired pilot (replaced by Max Greenfield) |
| 2021 | Have You Been Paying Attention? | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Cobra Kai | Owen | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Would I Lie To You? Australia | Himself | 1 episode |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Rocket Dog | Bob (voice) | Short film |
References
- Wigney, James (29 January 2012). "Lawson's ballad about love mimics life". The Sunday Mail. News Limited. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- "Mike Walsh O.B.E. - Official Website".
- "James Brayshsaw is no wipeout". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- "Josh Lawson". IMDb. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
- Schembri, Jim (9 February 2012). "Any Questions for Ben?". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- Hipes, Patrick (23 January 2018). "Oscar Nominations: 'The Shape of Water' Leads Way With 13". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (26 August 2019). "Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee and Josh Lawson Join 'Mortal Kombat' At New Line". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- Roach, Mel. "Rocket Dog". Archived from the original on 19 December 2021.
External links
- Josh Lawson at IMDb